STUDY: Opioid Addiction Costs Indiana $4 Billion Annually

According to IU researchers, opioid overdose deaths are up 500 percent in the past 15 years.

(Bloomington, Ind.) – According to a new study, opioid misuse costs Indiana over $4 billion annually, or $11 million daily.

The Indiana University – Bloomington study shows that the number of opioid overdose deaths in Indiana has risen by more than 500 percent over the past 15 years.

During that time span, approximately 12,300 Hoosiers are estimated to have died due to opioid overdoses, costing the state a total of $43.3 billion. 

"While it is true the entire nation has been mired in the crisis, only a handful of states -- including Indiana -- have been struggling with the epidemic while also facing an increasingly tight labor market, which challenges our hopes of realizing strong post-recessionary growth in an economy where labor is increasingly difficult to find," said Ryan Brewer, associate professor of finance at IUPUI – Columbus.

Opioid addiction can hinder or prevent misusers from finding employment, which then leads to reduced gross state product.

Hospitals and government agencies also get hit hard by opioid-related costs.

Research shows that non-lethal opioid overdoses resulted in over $224 million in hospitalization costs in 2016, while more than $40 million is spent annually for rehabilitation costs. In addition, drug arrests exceed about $13 million annually.

"Indications from national and local sources suggest communities across the country and within Indiana continue to experience worsening conditions and increasing numbers of misuse cases," Brewer said.

While there is no quick fix to the opioid epidemic, IU researchers are taking a grassroots approach to combat the epidemic by offering education and training, community engagement and workforce development, and innovative policy recommendations. 

The full Responding to the Addictions Crisis report can be viewed here.